xxxi, 574 p., [16] p. of plates : 25 cm

Presents a chronicle of humanity's historical, mythological and scientific relationship with the sun, drawing on various world cultures to explore such topics as the religious beliefs of Ancient Egypt, Galileo's early discoveries of sun spots and the modern world's efforts to address global warming

Includes bibliographical references (p. [519]-552) and index

Sunrise : Mount Fuji -- The sun before science : Telling stories ; Celebrating the seasons ; The three thousand witnesses ; Terrors of the sky -- Discovering the sun : The first astronomers ; Enter the Greeks ; Gifts of the Yellow Emperor ; The sultan's turret ; The Earth moves ; Strange seas of thought ; Eclipses and enlightenment ; The sun dethroned -- The sun on Earth : Sunspots ; The qualities of light ; Beneath the beating sun ; Skin deep ; The breath of life ; The dark biosphere -- Harnessing the sun : The heavenly guide ; Of calendars and dials ; How time goes by ; The sun in our pocket -- Inspired by a star : The vital symbol ; Drawing on the sun ; Negative capabilities ; Talk of the day ; Busie Old Foole ; The rising star of politics -- The sun and the future : Over the horizon ; Under the weather ; The impossible and beyond ; The death of the sun -- Sunset : the Ganges

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